King Rat
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Denholm Elliott, George Segal, James Fox, Patrick O'Neal, Tom CourtenayBrand: SEGAL,GEORGE
DVD: Region Code 99
Audio: English (Unknown), Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono; English (Subtitled); Japanese (Subtitled); English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono
Format: Anamorphic, Black & White, Closed-captioned, DVD, NTSC, Subtitled, Widescreen
Picture Format: Anamorphic Widescreen, 1.85:1
Running Time: 134 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2003-05-06
Audience Rating: Unrated
Studio: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
Movie Reviews of King Rat
Movie Review: An Overlooked Classic
Summary: 5 Stars
George Segal shines in this very good prisoner of war film as Cpl. King, KING RAT. George Segal shines literally while all the Allied POWs (mainly British) in the Japanese prison camp are reduced to rags, malnutrition, and disease and exposed to all the ill effects of a jungle environment. Only George Segal seems to remain immune. He is a natural born survivor wheeling and dealing his way with the Japanese guards and intimidating the British officers to succumb to his whims. If you want something Cpl. King is your man. The story scripted by director Bryan Forbes and based on the novel by James Clavell is quite interesting if not fascinating. How can a lowly Cpl. King carry so much clout? That is at the heart of this film. King is not only a survivor but also a chauvinist of the first degree showing or having little affinity with his fellow prisoners. This is perhaps George Segal's finest performance. George Segal is the very cold and calculating King right down to his ironed shirts and well manicured fingernails. George Segal is a strange fellow as well taking a liking to Flight Lt. Marlowe played by James Fox. Fox's performance is equally interesting as the well-bred and highly educated Lt. Marlowe who remains unaffected by his own background and is intrigued by Cpl. King. Lt. Marlowe posses the one thing that King will never have, that being social status back in civilian life, and that keeps King intrigued. The acting all around is very effective and convincing. In addition to George Segal and James Fox the strong cast includes John Mills, Patrick O'Neal, Denholm Elliott, Tom Courtenay, James Donald, Todd Armstrong and Richard Dawson. I particularly liked the black and white cinematography by Burnett Guffey which received an Academy Award nomination and John Barry's minimalist score depicting the despair and hopelessness of the less fortunate prisoners. Also, the script worked on many levels making it appealing to a wide audience. I found this film to be both entertaining and thought provoking on both a practical and moral level. I think this is director Bryan Forbes best work as it truly is outstanding. It is shame that Bryan Forbes has gone so unrecognized as a great director since he chose to concentrate on writing after leaving a post as head of production at London's Elstree Studios.
Summary of King Rat
No Description Available.Genre: Feature Film-Drama
Rating: UN
Release Date: 6-MAY-2003
Media Type: DVD
High on the list of best POW movies, King Rat bears some comparison to that compound over by the River Kwai... but this is an entirely more cynical exercise. In a Japanese prison camp, a brash American corporal (George Segal) runs a variety of money-making operations, much to the amazement of a young British officer (James Fox). Director Bryan Forbes, who adapted James Clavell's novel, follows different POWs through various strands of plot, each episode seemingly designed to highlight the dog-eat-dog nature of men held in close confinement. (In one pointedly black-comic sequence, it becomes man-eat-dog.) This was one of Segal's breakthrough roles, and his modern style fits the movie's anti-heroic, '60s approach. It was Oscar®-nominated for art direction and cinematography, which may sound odd for such a bleakly confined location, but the lucid starkness of the camp justifies the nods. The John Barry score, while apt, is similarly stark. --Robert Horton
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